Concert Review: Placebo at Stubb’s. European alt-rock darlings play Austin for first time in two decades in support of 2022 album ‘Never Let Me Go’.

Before they took the stage at Stubb’s, Placebo frontman Brian Molko’s seemingly ageless visage appeared on a widescreen monitor. He implored fans to put away their phones and focus on the moment, and to prepare for a night of “transcendence.”

One could accuse him of being a tad pretentious, but that’s all part of his charm, and the crowd was mostly respectful of his request. It was a welcome reminder to live in the now.

The band opened with Forever Chemicals, the first cut off 2022’s Never Let Me Go. It’s clanging industrial textures got the crowd amped up. It also served as a precursor: for any fans awaiting a Placebo greatest hits package, this was not the show for you.

In fact, the bulk of the set was pulled from Never Let Me Go, a bold move for a band who for many espouse hormonal Generation X nostalgia. Molko noted the band hadn’t played Austin in 20 years, adding “many of you probably have grown children by now. So do we.”

Luckily for Placebo, and their fans, the newer songs were heartily embraced. It helps that it’s the band’s best album since 2006’s Meds. Many in the audience knew the lyrics, shouting along to the euphoric glam of Beautiful James, the punchy, aggressive Hugz and the deeply emotive Sad White Reggae.

Perhaps the best received of the new material was Try Better Next Time, which while sonically upbeat, was lyrically pessimistic (yet darkly humorous):

It’s a gas, it’s a party
On this planet of flakes
Somebody take a picture
Before it’s too late

The band did dip into a few vintage numbers; the Sonic Youth’ish Bionic  (off their 1996 self-titled debut) drew huge cheers, as did 00’s favorites Infra-Red and The Bitter End. Slave To The Wage was another highlight, with the band at their most euphoric (their landmark 1997 album Without You I’m Nothing was skipped entirely).

Molko (who changed guitars every song) was joined by fellow founding member Stefan Olsdal, and the multi-instrumentalist bounced between playing lead guitar, synths and piano, which he played to beautiful effect on the anti-social media anthem Too Many Friends and the forlorn Song To Say Goodbye.

While Placebo are essentially a duo these days, they were flanked by an excellent backing band, including Bill Lloyd (guitar), Nick Gavrilovic (synths, guitars, backing vocals), Matt Lunn (drums), and Angela Chan (keyboards, violin).

Chan was a particularly potent addition, adding symphonic flair throughout the set on numbers including the somber ballad Come Undone (and the aforementioned Too Many Friends).

The group returned for one encore, which included an aggressive take on Tears For Fears’ Shout (with Olsdal and Molko trading vocals), the caustic Fix Yourself (also off the new album), and their signature rendition of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill. They concluded the set with a noisy, electronic  jam highlighted by seizure inducing visuals.

They then bowed to the audience, with both band and fans all smiles. While there was the occasional bemused, straggling fan frustrated by the lack of vintage hits, far more emerged from Stubb’s satiated from a fix that was long overdue. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another 20 years to catch them again (and maybe hear Pure Morning next time?).